Portfolio.



Patented Sept. 10, 190i.-

J. A. PARKER.

PORTFOLIO.

(Application filed June 8, 1901.)

2 Sheets-Shefi I.

(No Model.)

3 u ozutoz No. 682,266. Patented Sept. l0, [90L J. A. PARKER.

PORTFOLIO.

(Application and June a, 1901.;

(" -J 2 Sheets-Shae? 2.

Nrrnn Frames 2; FFIQEt JOHN A. PARKER, OF BELLEFONTAINE, OI-IIO.

PORTFOLIO.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 682,266, dated September 10, 190.1.

Application filed June 3, 1901.

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. PARKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bellefontaine, county of Logan, and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portfolios, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to a portfolio to be hung or otherwise supported in convenient position to receive sheet-music, folios, newspapers, or the like.

The objects of my invention are to provide a portfolio of cheap, simple, and durable construction, that will afford an ample receptacle for articles of the character named, that will hold and press the contents between leaves which remain parallel with any amount of contents up to a full capacity between them, thus smoothing or straightening such contents, and that will be ornamental and afford a convenient means of indexing the several compartments and will afford especial convenience in manipulating in that the opening of any one pocket will hold all the others closed and without the use of latches, clasps, or the like, so that the portfolio can be opened with but one hand, leaving the other free to insert or withdraw articles.

The above-recited objects are accomplished by features of construction which will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whicht Figure l is a perspective view of a portfolio constructed in accordance with myinvention. Fig. 2 is a central horizontal section through the same. Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 1 with one or more of the front leaves detached. Fig. 4 is an end view illustrating the manipulation of the portfolio.

The-portfolio comprises a back or support A and a series of superposed partitions, boards, or leaves B C D E F, &c., which may be of any suitable number and which I shall hereinafter refer to as the leaves, each leaf being carried by and hinged at its lower edge upon the leaf or, in the case of the inner leaf, the back beneath it, through hinges 1, that permit the leaves to remain parallel while separated even to the full capacity of the portfolio, and each leaf or a suitable proportion Serial No. 62,900. (No model.)

of the leaves having an independent elastic closing strap, spring, or the like2 3, which I shall call the closing-spring, that connects it to the back. By reason of the closingsprings 2 3 being each connected from its leaf directly to the back or support A it follows that each leaf is held closed not only by its own springs, but also by those connected to theleaves in front of it.

The hinges 1 are best shown in Fig. 3, from which it will be seen that each consists of a plurality of spring-arms 4, secured by tnbular rivets 5 and rivetin g-pins 6 to the back or leaf to which any given leaf is to be hinged and carrying at their lower ends horizontal rods 7, which are secured by hinge members 8 of any suitable number to the leaf, to be hinged, said hinge members 8 being secured by tubular rivets entering the perforations 9 and riveting-pins entering the perforations 10. By reason of the length of the arms 4: it will be seen that the lower end of the hinged leaf may move outward, and thus keep the leaf parallel to the leaf or back behind it as the material accumulates in the pocket. In order to prevent small papers dropping through the bottom of the pocket, the supporting part of each pocket-to Wit, the leaf behind the one in question or, in the case of the innermost leaf, the back A--is provided witha rod 11, supported by the hinge members at and also by the intermediate bearing 12, and a flexible apron 13 is stretched between the rods 11 and 7, which will at all times form a bottom to the pocket or fill the space left by the outward movement of the lower edge of the leaf, and thus prevent the escape of any material.

Each closing-spring 2 or 3 is secured to the back A by a tubular rivet 14, as shown in Fig. 2, and is provided at the edge of the back with a connection 15, that sustains the spring at this point and prevents it wearing over the edge of the back. Each leaf B C D, &c., has wearing-points 16, where the spring passes over its edge, which are constructed of smooth metal to prevent the strap wearing at this point. Each closing-spring is secured to its corresponding leaf by means of a hook 17, which takes into an eye 18 in the leaf, except in the case of the outermost leaf, which I prefer to connect with its closing spring through the medium of an adj ustingbuckle 19, which is best shown in Fig. 1, in order to permit tension on the outer closingspring to be taken up at will. In order to distribute the closing-springs at the most advantageous points and also to avoid interference between them by having too many at one point, the springs 3 are connected at a lower horizontal level than the springs 2, but are otherwise similar in construction and mode of attachment.

For convenience in labeling and for pro ducingan ornamental effect, as wellas accomplishing the very important object of closing all the pockets by the act of opening any one of them, I have arranged the leaves in a peculiar manner in addition to the feature of connecting each leaf by an independent spring to the backthat is to say, each leaf is made to bear upon the one beneath in a line above the lower edge of the latter, so

that when any leaf is pulled out its lowerend, which serves as the fulcrum, presses inward upon the leaves below it and holds them closed. This is best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4. I prefer to accomplish this result by having both the vertical and horizontal dim ensions of successive leaves reduced, so that the perimeter of each leaf lies well within the one behind it, as this gives opportunity for labeling each leaf upon its upper edge, as suggested by the label-holders 20, and also permits the closing-springs 2 and 3 to act to better advantage. The main point in this feature, however, is to have the fulcrum of each leaf above the lower edge of the leaf beneath, so that it will tend to hold closed all the leaves beneath the one being opened.

21 represents suspending-ears by which the portfolio is hung or suspended.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A portfolio comprising a back, a plurality of superposed leaves, and independent closing-springs secured to the back and to the respective leaves, whereby opening one leaf does not relieve closing tension on the ones behind it. i

2. A portfolio comprising a back and a series of superposed leaves, each hinged to the one beneath it and independent closingsprings secured to the back and each exertin g closing tension on a plurality of the leaves.

3. A portfolio comprising a back, and a plurality of superposed leaves, each hinged to the one beneath itin aline above the edge of the latter, and a plurality of closingsprings extending from the back to the several leaves.

4. A portfolio, comprising a back, a series of superposed leaves of gradually-decreasing dimensions hinged each upon the one beneath it with the edge of each hinged leaf bearing above the edge of the one to which it is hinged, and independent closing-springs extending from the back to the leaves.

5. A portfolio comprising the back, the series of superposed leaves, each hinged to the one beneath it, and the hinges comprising the long flexible members 4 secured each at one end to one of two leaves to be hinged together, so as to leave the greater part of its length free, and the short members 8 each having pintle connection with the free end of a long member and secured to the other of the two leaves to be hinged together, where by the leaves may remain parallel when separated.

6. In a portfolio, the combination of the superposed back and leaves having means for closing them together, the hinges comprising each a long flexible member secured at one end.to one of said superposed parts, having the greater part of its length free, and the short member having pintle connection with the long member of the hinge and connected to the other superposed part to be hinged, the rods 7 and 11 secured to the respective parts that are hinged together, and the flexible apron 13 supported by said rods.

7 A portfolio comprising a suitable back, a series of superposed leaves, each hinged to the part beneath it, the closing-springs secured at one end to the back, and hooks and eyes securing the opposite ends of said springs to the respective leaves.

8. A portfolio comprising a suitable back, a series of superposed leaves each hinged to the one beneath it, the closing-springs all secured to the back and two to each of the leaves, and the adjusting-buckle attaching the two springs to the outer leaf.

JOHN A. PARKER.

Witnesses:

O. D. CAMPBELL, IIARRIETT A. CAMPBELL. 

